webnovelvip Chapter 556 Pilgrimage to the Snow Mountain, the Great Sun Tathagata
Chapter 556 Pilgrimage to the Snow Mountain, the Great Sun Tathagata
Chapter 556 Pilgrimage to the Snow Mountain, the Great Sun Tathagata
After the communication ended, Bai Xuanji casually released her hand and asked, "There are no spatial passages around the Flame Desert. If you want to take on this mission, you must hurry."
If we're too slow, by the time Bai Ze arrives, everyone might have already run away.
"How fast do we need to go?" Bai Ze asked, feigning curiosity.
"If you could travel a thousand miles in an instant, you could definitely catch up."
As Bai Xuanji spoke, her gaze shifted slightly, clearly indicating that she understood the God of War's meaning.
Among all the people in Dongxia, only Cheng Peng can travel a thousand miles in an instant.
Others, even those who are like gods, may be able to defeat Cheng Peng, but it would be very difficult for them to do so as quickly as Cheng Peng.
Of course, if you directly break through space and teleport long distances, that's a different story.
While the God of War certainly wanted to eliminate those traitors, he also wanted Bai Ze to hand over Cheng Peng by giving him this task.
Previously, when Cheng Peng was severely injured, it was Bai Ze who took him away. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Bai Ze did intentionally or unintentionally use Cheng Peng as a hostage to prevent the God of War from suddenly taking action and eliminating this inherently evil Xiao Zizai.
Bai Ze was quite self-aware, knowing some things about himself, such as that if his control over the entire Ying Kingdom were to be leaked, he would have no place to stand in the entire Dongxia.
"Senior Cheng Peng is still recovering from his injuries and is blind, so he cannot take action," Bai Ze said, shaking his head.
He also understood why the God of War did this; most likely, it was because he discovered that Ye Liuyun, who should have been bedridden for a year or two, had recovered.
Since Ye Liuyun was able to recover, Cheng Peng should be able to as well.
But the truth is, Cheng Peng really can't recover.
Ye Liuyun's injuries were indeed serious, but that was all he had, while Cheng Peng had much more than just injuries.
Cheng Peng still carries the strange power left by Chernobog, and with Bai Ze's current strength, he is not able to remove Chernobog's power from Cheng Peng.
The power of the Black God invaded Cheng Peng's primordial spirit and became entangled with his soul. Even if a divine enemy came, it would be difficult to deal with him. Only Cheng Peng could remove it with the power of his primordial spirit.
Once the supernatural force is removed, as long as Cheng Peng doesn't resist, Bai Ze can still help him recover using his words.
However, given his omnipotent ability to make his words come true, even without Cheng Peng, Bai Ze could return to Earth and head to the Tibetan Plateau in a short time.
However, this will expose more of their true colors.
As Bai Ze continues to demonstrate his strength, his omnipotence of making his words law is gradually revealed.
Even if others don't know the specifics of his abilities, they can deduce from various sources that Bai Ze possesses extremely comprehensive, even omnipotent, supernatural powers.
The God of War entrusted this task to Bai Ze, perhaps not only to have Bai Ze cure Cheng Peng, but also to see how Bai Ze would act.
He wanted to see how far Bai Ze would go for Dongxia.
The more Bai Ze did, the more tolerant the God of War became of his carefree nature.
If Bai Ze hadn't brought the God of War back to the Federation via the Wanyi Train, the mere fact that Bai Ze possessed demonic blood would have been enough for the God of War to order Bai Ze's arrest.
The same principle applies now: the greater Bai Ze's contribution, the more tolerant the God of War will be, and he will even be generous in giving back.
"What kind of reward will the God of War give for this mission?" Bai Ze asked.
"By appointing you as an envoy, I am entrusting you with a heavier responsibility. The God of War originally planned to appoint you as the inspector of the Martial Arts Association upon your return, responsible for inspecting Ying Kingdom."
After pondering for a moment, Bai Xuanji replied, "Now that this matter has been added... I think you will have a place in the Martial Arts Association's decision-making body."
Calling them inspectors is an understatement; it's more accurate to say they're endorsing Bai Ze's control of the Steel Continent.
This was nominally to bring the Steel Continent under its jurisdiction, so that Bai Ze could rightfully control Ying Kingdom and prevent others within the Federation from criticizing him.
Now, the rewards for the God of War will obviously have to be increased.
"Looks like I need to step up my efforts too."
Bai Ze stood up, gently dusted himself off, and said, "I accept this mission."
Let them reveal more details if they want.
He has now established himself and no longer needs to hide himself as he did in the past.
Moreover, the power of words has been elevated as strength has grown. At this point, even if others know the specifics of my abilities, I don't need to worry about being targeted.
As the saying goes, words have power.
"A small step can reveal a hundred rivers, and a short distance can feel like a thousand miles."
After Bai Ze finished speaking, his figure seemed to turn into light and disappear from the spot.
.....
.....
"Slap!"
On the asphalt road, a figure lunged forward, the wooden clogs on his hands making a long "screech" sound as he slid until he fell flat on his face, his forehead hitting the cold asphalt with a dull thud.
He got up, walked to the handprint, and then knelt down again.
Behind this figure, a long line of people performed the same movements, like a dragon swimming across the land at an altitude of 4,000 meters.
This is the pilgrimage of Tantric Buddhism.
Believers set off from their homes, either on foot or by prostrating themselves as long as their bodies. After walking the same distance, they would prostrate themselves on the ground. This process could take months or even years, until they reached the summit of the Great Snow Mountain and entered the temple to worship.
In this process, injuries and even death are inevitable.
Just now, an old man collapsed to the ground due to his weakness.
Two people immediately got out of the small truck that was following beside them and helped the elderly man to the roadside to rest.
Getting on the bus is impossible; pilgrims must walk, and getting on the bus would disrupt their spiritual practice.
The old man was lying on his side by the roadside, breathing heavily.
"Take a long, slow breath, exhaling slowly."
A voice suddenly rang out, followed by a hand placed on the old man's back to help him calm his breathing.
Gradually, his breathing became rhythmic, and his previously exhausted body miraculously regained its strength.
The old man turned his head and saw a young face, but strangely, he always remembered the details of that face no matter what.
"Are you the guru of Kalachakra Temple? Or a reincarnated venerable one?" The old man humbly bowed his head.
"Neither."
Bai Ze denied it softly, not answering directly, but instead asking about the long pilgrimage procession, "Why are so many people making pilgrimages?"
When Bai Ze broke through to the sixth star, he also passed through this land and saw pilgrims.
The Tantric faith is deeply rooted in this land. Even in the martial arts era, there were many pilgrims, but seeing so many here is a rare sight, perhaps only once every hundred years.
This is especially unusual given that Kalachakra Temple is about to abscond.
The old man felt that the young man's voice had a peculiar magic that made him unable to stop himself from speaking freely.
"War is about to break out."
The old man said, "The remnants of the Brahma-India army are marching. We must pay homage to the Venerable One and ask for his and the Bodhisattva's blessings to help us safely weather the war."
"Just for this?" Bai Ze found it unbelievable.
Federal troops are stationed on the border, while in the ancient land of India beyond the border, the Yumen Gang is guiding their compatriots. These believers do not thank the troops or the Yumen Gang, but instead come to make a pilgrimage.
Even after seeing so many followers of evil gods, and even having personally controlled the Kingdom of Ying, Bai Ze still found it difficult to understand their thought processes.
Because followers of evil gods are susceptible to the influence of the evil god's consciousness, the people of Yingguo were also controlled by Bai Ze through his words. However, these followers in front of us were neither influenced by the evil god's consciousness nor had they cultivated internal energy, so they would not be affected by the Tantric practices.
Their piety and fervor came from the bottom of their hearts.
"The Venerable One's grace has made our children warriors."
"The Venerable One's compassion brings peace to our souls."
The old man murmured softly, "Om Mani Padme Hum".
As he chanted, wisps of faith emanated from him and flew towards the distant snow-capped mountains.
The old man's face visibly regained its rosy hue, as if he had been rejuvenated.
But in Bai Ze's eyes, this was a suicidal act of unleashing potential.
The "Mahavairocana Buddha Tathagata All Buddhas Crown Dharani Mantra" transmitted by the Kalachakra Temple has the function of stimulating potential and condensing internal energy. This verse, as well as the old man's current breathing rhythm, is even more radical than that mantra.
When the energy that had been stimulated was exhausted, that was when the old man's life force was exhausted and he was nearing its end.
And such people are everywhere you look.
"Luo Shu, count the number of pilgrims," Bai Ze whispered.
[Received instructions to perform statistical analysis.]
Nanoparticles floated up, emitting the sound of the Luoshu (a mythical tree).
Currently, there are 73,061 pilgrims on their way, and 20,713 pilgrims have already arrived at the Snow Mountain Mandala and the plaza.
[There are also 103,000 followers.]
"Nearly 200,000 people."
Bai Ze lowered his eyes and read out the number.
At that moment, dozens of satellites were overhead over the Tibetan Plateau, watching the Kalachakra Temple and the Shingon Temple.
While the powerful figures from both factions are capable of avoiding satellites, lower- and mid-level martial artists lack this ability. Moreover, once there are many people, even with powerful figures providing cover, it's easy to leave traces.
Not to mention that relocation not only involves people leaving, but also taking away a large amount of resources and cultural heritage.
"Instead of shielding the satellites, they are allowing them to observe the gathering of believers. This is taking these people hostage."
Looking at the long queue, Bai Ze could already foresee what would happen next.
Relocating resources and assets will take time. Directly invoking the primordial energy of heaven and earth, creating celestial chaos, and obstructing satellite observations could invite a large-scale attack from the Federation.
In order to buy time, Kalachakra chose to gather its followers and use hostages as leverage.
At the same time, this is also a way to exhaust the resources before leaving, to absorb the last wave of faith and spiritual power.
"Master, the Federation has already intercepted them, but a large number of believers are still crossing mountains and valleys to reach the Great Snow Mountain," Luo Shu continued to report.
"As expected," Bai Ze said softly.
The Kalachakra Temple and Shingon Temple transmitted the "Mahavairocana Buddha Tathagata All Buddhas Crown Dharani Mantra" to help believers stimulate their inner energy.
Those who become martial artists through this method, although their internal energy is cultivated by themselves, is not the master of their own internal energy.
The true owners of this energy are the high-ranking members of the two factions.
Furthermore, these martial artists are naturally influenced by the Kalachakra Palace and the Shingon Temple, and will feel admiration and respect for those who practice the same martial arts techniques.
Becoming a martial artist is essentially the same as becoming a believer.
The cohesion generated by this method is comparable to the control that evil gods exert over their followers, and it is subtle and imperceptible, with no obvious abnormalities.
Bai Ze had previously admired the talent of the scripture's creator upon seeing it, and now he was amazed once again.
What I could only accomplish through my own words, someone else accomplished with a single scripture.
If this isn't what you call amazing talent, then what is?
Bai Ze also found it somewhat troublesome to face such an opponent.
Directly controlling people through words would be too taxing and detrimental to future battles. Moreover, Bai Ze didn't want to reveal his ability to control 200,000 people.
Although I was prepared to reveal some of my abilities, this is not how I intend to do it.
Bai Ze has no intention of ever revealing his ability to control consciousness on a large scale.
If this ability were to be leaked, even Da Zizai would have to relinquish his throne and let Bai Ze take it.
Even if Bai Ze says he never intended to control everyone, it depends on whether others believe him.
Often, the level of threat depends not on whether you have the intention, but on whether you have the ability.
so-
Bai Ze flipped his hand, and a relic emitting a faint Buddhist light appeared in his hand.
This is a relic formed from the essence, energy, and spirit of the Vajra Yaksha Venerable, condensing the essence of a Heavenly Gate Warrior.
If someone can refine and absorb it, then even if they cannot break through the Heavenly Barrier of the Body, it should not be far off.
Among the four Heavenly Barriers, the Heavenly Barrier of Body should be the easiest to break through. As long as you have enough resources, even if you lack talent, you may still be able to break through.
Unfortunately, what Bai Ze lacks now is not resources, but a higher level of cultivation.
He never lacks resources; all the primordial energy in the world is Bai Ze's resource. As long as he reaches a certain level, Bai Ze can directly command primordial energy to enter his body with his words, replenishing his reserves in an instant.
Conversely, if one's realm is insufficient, even if one can wield the power of the Heavenly Gate level through the power of words, one will not be able to achieve a leap in level.
For Bai Ze, this relic of the Vajra Yaksha was merely an external energy source.
"It can be considered as taking from Tantric Buddhism and using it for Tantric Buddhism."
As Bai Ze spoke, he gently tossed the relic to the mountaintop not far away.
"The Buddha's body pervades the Dharma realm, appearing before all sentient beings."
"Accepting all circumstances and responding to all feelings, I remain steadfast on this Bodhi seat."
"Mahavairocana Buddha, appear!"
When the scriptures are spoken, the Dharma image manifests.
The Buddhist energy and intent within the relic were drawn out and, through the transformation of words into Dharma, condensed into a Dharma image sixteen feet tall.
His body was as round as a full moon, he wore a crown of five Tathagatas, a draped celestial robe, and adorned with necklaces. He sat cross-legged on an eight-petaled lotus platform, surrounded by a vast aura of Buddha and radiant light that illuminated all directions. This was the very form of Vairocana Buddha.
The moment this figure appeared, it immediately caused gasps of astonishment among the pilgrims, and countless eyes stared in disbelief at the towering figure.
"The Buddha Vairocana has manifested."
Someone shouted, and the pilgrims heading towards the Great Snow Mountain immediately changed direction, surging like a tide towards the mountain below the image of Vairocana Buddha.
As the highest deity in Esoteric Buddhism, Vairocana Buddha has an unparalleled influence among Esoteric Buddhist followers.
Although the Venerable One of Kalachakra is the real one, while Vairocana Buddha is an imposter, the imposter is more attractive than the real one.